Aspinall on IPCC and DPP statement

Chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Margaret Aspinall, was interviewed by BBC shortly afterwards and below is a transcript of her reaction to the day's news.

Margaret, firstly what are your feelings following today's announcement?

Obviously, I'm very pleased with what I have heard. I think it's a great thing. What Trevor Hicks said four weeks ago was that we have the truth and now this is the start of the justice. And I do believe this is the start of the accountability. The investigation will be looking into all serving police officers on that day - even if they have died or are still living - and I think that is a great thing to be looking into. They are also looking into the role of the West Midlands Police and that is a good thing. I think that all the families will be quite pleased with what they have heard today.

Was there any particular part of the announcement, which was very wide-ranging, that stood out for you as the most important for the families?

I think the fact that the CPS could start looking into the inquest verdicts will be very positive for the families. But I think it is very important as well to get to the bottom of the role of Mr Norman Bettison, not just him I must stress, but everyone concerned. Also the media of that time and certain papers (must be held to account). I think they are going to be going in-depth with their investigation and I think that's great. I just hope that they get the resources now to make sure that this job is done thoroughly and pleases everybody concerned.

This is going to be a very long and time-consuming process and very complicated legally, are the families ready for that? You waited 23 years for last month's announcement and now we have this. You have more waiting ahead of you, don't you?

Yes we have more waiting ahead of us but as you have just said, we had 23 years of waiting. I'm hoping that [the findings of this investigation] will come sooner rather than later as I'm a lot older now. I was a relatively young woman at the time [of the disaster] and I'm now a pensioner, so I don't want to be waiting too long - I want to see the end of this. Then I can enjoy life in a bit more peace with the rest of my family. I'm just praying this time that the job will be done thoroughly.

You mentioned how complicated this is going to be; a few weeks ago, you were talking about getting an overall body to look at the legal process on behalf of the families. Is that something that is going to happen, do you think?

Very much so, yes. We have got our legal team set up and we have a damn good legal team in place now. We have also Nat Carey, who is a top pathologist, who will be looking at the families' details and a lot of that is still very personal. But we've got a top team and I'm just hoping now that, along with the CPS, they will come out and give us what we rightfully deserve and what we should have had 23 years ago.

Would you rather see the inquests opened before this investigation is concluded or the other way round?

Personally, and I cannot speak on the behalf of the rest of the families, I'd like to see the inquest verdict squashed right away. That should be done immediately after what came out on September 12. I would like to see that.